


Barefoot On The Lawn With Shooting Stars

by Lothiriel84



Series: The Memory Of Trees [4]
Category: Parade's End - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:41:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2078943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You’re the Captain’s dear friend,” that was how one of Christopher’s comrades had greeted her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Barefoot On The Lawn With Shooting Stars

“You’re the Captain’s dear friend,” that was how one of Christopher’s comrades had greeted her, and she thought it pretty much summed up her current position. She wasn’t his legitimate consort, and yet she was so much more than his mistress; Christopher loved and respected her, while he’d never been able to truly love and respect his unfaithful wife.

Most days that was enough, even if Valentine was painfully aware that society would always despise her and any children they might happen to conceive. It wasn’t fair that someone as decent as Christopher Tietjens had to be tied for life to a woman like Sylvia; however, his sense of duty was one of the reasons why she respected him, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

After a few desperate attempts to get her husband back – not out of love, but merely because she wasn’t such a woman to admit defeat – Sylvia appeared to leave them alone, and that in itself counted as a small mercy. As much as she trusted Christopher and his love for her, Valentine wouldn’t put it past that woman to come up with some scheme to either seduce him back to her or appeal to his sense of duty in order to get him exactly where she wanted him.

A charming, sophisticated, manipulative woman, that was what Sylvia was; it was something Valentine would never be, and she could never be thankful enough that Christopher valued honesty far above beauty and superficial charm.

 

* * *

A letter came from Sylvia while Christopher was away to visit Michael. Valentine turned it between her hands, dreading its contents and yet not daring to open it; it wasn’t addressed to her, and she knew she had no right to read it.

She sighed as she put the sealed envelope on the mantelpiece; it was hard enough for Christopher to see the son he loved dearly growing up as a stranger, the last thing he deserved was his wife coming up with new ways to torment him. The boy was lucky to have a father who cared about him so much, when his own mother barely seemed to endure his sight sometimes.

Valentine struggled to suppress a pang of jealousy at the thought that she was denied the joy to give Christopher a child he could call his own. It wouldn’t be fair to bring an illegitimate child into this world, though that was always a possibility now that she’d agreed to live with him as a husband and wife would do; one thing was sure though, she would never consent to marry another man to save herself from ruin like Sylvia had done.

 

* * *

Christopher noticed her distress as soon as she opened the door and let him in. “What’s wrong, my dear?” he enquired gently, gathering her in his arms and dropping an affectionate kiss on her brow.

“Nothing,” she murmured, inhaling his familiar scent and willing her quivering heart to slow down. “It’s just – a letter came for you when you were away.”

He pulled back slightly, looking her in the eye; she didn’t need to tell him who wrote it, he just understood. “I see,” he said softly, letting her go in order to pick up the envelope and tear it open.

Valentine turned her gaze to the flames that were flickering in the fireplace, silently praying that it wouldn’t be bad news; even so, she was completely unprepared for the odd look she caught on Christopher’s face when she dared to meet his eye again.

“Sylvia announces her intention to divorce me, and to marry General Campion afterwards,” he muttered wonderingly, and she felt the room spin around her a little, whether from the shock or something else she couldn’t say.

It was only when Christopher stepped closer and placed his palm against her cheek that she realised she was actually crying out of sheer relief.


End file.
